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Army leaders emphasize importance of cyberspace capabilities

The importance of the cyberspace capabilities will continue to grow, not only for specific cyber and space commands, but for the Army at large, according to a group of Army leaders in the cyber and space fields.

“Today cyberspace cuts across all sectors,” said Lt. Gen. Rhett A. Hernandez, commanding generalArmy Cyberspace Command. “The Army is transforming the way it thinks about cyberspace…even in a period of reduced resources, we cannot afford not to.”

Hernandez spoke, along with other Army leaders, at a panel form on Cyberspace during the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition on Tuesday, Oct. 23.

He went on to describe how increased cyberspace capabilities allow the Army to prevent, shape, and win future conflicts. In addition, he explained how at every level now “coordination relies on cyberspace” and that it is now “indispensable for human interaction, including military actions.”

Hernandez added that the growth of cyberspace is “changing the way we have to defend not only all Army networks…but also how we defend the nation [overall].”

Formica added that space and cyber are separate domains that are interdependent but not interchangeable.

“We’re not even fully there yet with space,” said Formica, explaining that although the United States hasoperationalized and institutionalized space, the nation’s space capabilities continue to expand.

From the intelligence perspective, Lt.Gen. Mary A. Legere, deputy chief of staff, G-2, explained the necessity of cyberspace capabilities in today’s Army intelligence.

“Nothing we do in intelligence to support our warfighters around the world is possible without secure networks,” she said.

Legere said that one of the main goals in the cyber realm as well as the Army at large is to “create a defensible, single network” that provides full-spectrum capabilities.

According to Lt. Gen. Donald M. Campbell, Jr., commanding general, III Corps and Fort Hood, “There are still a lot of challenges when it comes to permissions and levels of authority” in increasing the use of cyberspace and growing its capabilities in the Army.

“This is truly leaders’ business and you have to be involved from the beginning,” said Campbell, who later added that leaders must get incorporated in the cyber process early.

“We’re a good investment because we do get the return on our investment,” Lt. Gen. Susan S. Lawrence, chief information officer/G-6, said about cyberspace. “And we are definitely more secure at the end of the day.”

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